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Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
(article posted by Lauren Brightmore, Student Sports Information Assistant)

Feb. 7, 2011  - And it's a clean start as Jon Howard bolts out of the blocks and into another incredible track and field season. The North Central College senior has experienced great success throughout his track and field career. As a freshman, Jon was a member of an All-American 4-by-400-meter relay team, finishing fifth at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. As a junior, Jon and his 4-by-400-meter relay teammates qualified for the Division III Indoor National Championships, winning the event. As an All-American and National Champion, Jon has established a great deal of momentum going into this 2011 season.  

The marketing major has made great headway both individually and as a relay competitor. For the first time in his career, Jon has provisionally qualified for the national championships in the 400-meter dash, with a time of 49. 52. He is currently ranked eighth nationally among Division III athletes in the event. Jon has also helped lead the relay to a provisional time of 3:17.97 with his teammates Daniel Benton, Jonny Caron, and Bai Kabba. Based on this qualifying performance, the relay team was honored for the week of Jan. 31- Feb. 6 by the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW). As the indoor track and field season winds down, one should not be surprised to see Jon and his teammates scorch up the track. 

Q: At the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, you ran the 400-meter dash in a time of 49.75, provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships. This past weekend at the Chicagoland Championships, you improved your provisional mark to 49.52. Now that you've run such fast times so early in the season, do you feel more confident for the rest of the indoor? 

A: Running those times definitely makes me more confident. Last year I was running the 400-meter dash in 51 seconds, so running 49's this season has shown me that I can keep improving and drop even more time. 

Q: Last season, the North Central men's track and field team triple crowned, earning national titles in cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field. Based on the success of last year, do you feel there is any pressure this season, to win again? 

A: I think there is some degree of pressure especially after seeing the competitive response from teams like UW-Lacrosse and UW-Whitewater. It's going to be harder to win this year. We're counting on a fight for first at nationals. At the same time though, we're not taking the championship to head too much. We know we just have to focus on the process, which is what coach Al Carius preaches. 

Q: Last year the 4-by-400-meter relay qualified for nationals at the last indoor meet, then made the cut for the national meet, and then finished first in the event. What was that experience like for you as a member of the relay? 

A: It was surprises everywhere. Just qualifying was exciting especially with such a great team atmosphere.  Then when we went to nationals and ran that first heat, it was really awesome and overwhelming. After the other heats were finished, we looked at the times and saw that we won, so it was surprises again. 

Q: In high pressure situations like at a nationals competition, how do you mentally prepare for your race?

A: I pray a lot. I also just focus on the process and say to myself this is going to be like any other indoor race that we've run. I just can't let the pressure get to me. I turn that pressure into energy and transfer that energy into the race. 

Q: What leg are you in the 4-by-400-meter relay? Do you have a preference?

A: Indoor I usually run the first leg. I can get out of the blocks pretty fast, and strategically I'm more confident coming out of the blocks because I'm used to running the 400-meter dash. Outdoor I'll run the second leg. Something about cutting in after the first turn gives me that competitive response to go after the person in front of me or else maintain our position in first. It doesn't really matter what leg they give me though, because I'm just going to go out there and do my best. 

Q: Have there been any differences to the team now that coach Frank Gramarosso has replaced Al Carius as the head coach of men's track and field?

A:  I think the only thing that has changed is that Coach Gramarosso (Grammy) talks a little bit more than Al in the team meetings. Otherwise, logistically no, I don't think the change has made any differences to the team. Al is still really motivational, and Grammy still takes care of everything like bus rentals, reserving hotel rooms, and just doing the things Grammy does. 

Q: Do you have a preference when it comes to the 400m dash or the 400m hurdles?

A: No, someone asked me that earlier. I would say right now since I didn't do an open 400-dash too much outdoors last year, I would have a preference for hurdles over the open 400 outdoor. But since there are no 400-meter hurdles indoors, the open 400 takes precedence. Going outdoors, I may have to switch it up, run the 400 one meet, the 400 hurdles another meet. I'm training now more than I ever have for the 400-meter hurdles indoors, so I'm hoping that the speed and technique I can transfer outdoors and see results there.

Q: What kind of pre-competition or pump-up music is on your iPod?

A: Someone stole my iPod in November, so pump-up music for me has been absent lately. Usually any kind of up-tempo music works though. My teammate Randal Ellison always plays Waka Flocka Flame, so I would definitely say Waka. 

Q: Do you wear your national championship ring often?

A: I wear it on the weekends or to class sometimes, but I won't wear it at practice. Really whenever I think about my championship ring, I'll slide it on. I just don't want that to get stolen too. 

Q: What's the best part of being a student-athlete at North Central?

A: You have more than just a classroom on campus. You have a track or field to compete and retreat to at the end of the day. Being a student-athlete keeps you balanced physically through sport and mentally through academics. 

Q: Are there any positives for the indoor track and field season over the outdoor season?

A: For indoor season, you are in a very controlled environment, which helps because in outdoor you face a lot of adversity with the weather conditions. In the 400-meter hurdles especially, you have to overcome the weather. If it's raining, you can't see as much with hurdles, and if it's really windy you may face a headwind, which is a huge disadvantage. So indoor is better in the respect that you know it's always going to be room temperature. 

Q: How have you changed as a runner over the past four years?

A: Coming in as a first-year-student, I really didn't know what to expect. I had maybe two or three different groups of guys pulling me in their direction of following them, and I didn't follow the right group when I first got here. However, I transitioned in outdoor, finding the correct group of guys to follow, like my former teammates Adam Pennington, Greg Jackson, Adam Johnson, and Tommy Robertson. I started running with them, and outdoor our 4-by-400-meter relay finished in fifth at nationals. It was great to be a part of that All-American team. 

 Then my sophomore year, I fell off a bit. I think I got a little too comfortable, but when junior year came around, I returned better and wiser, really focusing on working out throughout the summer, eating right, and hydrating throughout the day. After four years of being an athlete, I have finally encompassed everything this year as far as working hard in track, balancing homework and studying, and getting enough sleep—everything of that sort. 

Q: Who would you say is the funniest person on the team?

A: It's definitely a mix between Randal Ellison and J.R. Kabba. Also, Jonny Caron. Those three guys definitely crack me up.  

Q: What are your goals for the season?  

A: Our team goals are to win indoor and outdoor nationals again. We're going to put forth our best efforts as far as competing and staying healthy, like choosing classes that won't get you injured. Ultimately, that team support is what we need to get the results we're looking for. Individually, I just want to focus on academics, staying balanced as a student-athlete as well as staying healthy so that I can work as hard as I can on the track. 

Q: The men's track and field program at North Central has very active alumni. Would you consider coming back in the future to help coach or assist the team?

A: I'm going to be around next year because I have eligibility left for outdoor, so I'll be taking on leadership roles as well as practicing with the team. If I'm needed after next year, whether through coaching or assisting, I'll be present. 

Q: What extracurricular activities are you involved in?

A: Too many (laughs). I'm the president of the Black Student Association. I'm on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and I also volunteer on the weekends for the Junior/Senior Scholars Program when available. I help bring in different speakers to the College, like Spike Lee and Martin Luther King III, through my involvement with the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee. In the past I've been a Resident Assistant (RA) and the student-body acting president. 

Q: During your time at North Central, have you ever taken advantage of any study abroad or Break Away programs?

A: I studied abroad in Australia for a few months, and it was really laid back and chill. At the school there, I only had two big exams and was in class for a total of three hours a week. In the U.S. that would never happen because you're expected to report to your professors and hand in assignments throughout the week. I was able to join a track club there to stay in shape, and I even played some football which was kind of random. I also went to Berlin on a December-term trip, so I like to travel when I get the chance.

As far as spring break trips, I went on one that followed the path of the Freedom Riders in the 60's. We volunteered at a homeless shelter and food-packaging place in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a really cool experience, and for a whole week straight we went to museums and places along their journey.

Q: What is one of your favorite meets?

A: Definitely Drake Relays. The ambiance of the track, the uproar of the crowd, and seeing yourself on the big screen are so cool. Drake University makes the meet seem like a world-class event. Just seeing Olympians like Lolo Jones and Wallace Spearmon running in the same environment we are, is really amazing. 

Q: Are there any track or field event that you would like to try?

A:  I would like to do the 200-meter dash outdoors, and run as a leg of the 4-by-200-meter relay at Drake. Running the 400-meter hurdles outdoors keeps me from running the 200-meter dash because the events are so close together. 

Q: Finish this sentence: The best part of running the 4-by-400-meter relay is …

A: Handing off or getting the baton, but also seeing the expression on each guy's face as they come to the finish line, looking to see if our time is as good or even better than we wanted.